More important than ranting here is leaving negative reviews at both websites.

Yes, I will do that.

I've been seeing more and more of the type of packaging you're describing. I think the companies are trying to be more environmentally friendly (or save money) by not using packing peanuts. It is possible to ship fragile items without the peanuts, but you have to know how to wrap the items and pack the boxes so that you don't have any movement or compression breakage.

Luckily, everything that has arrived broken has been replaced by the vendors with minimal hassle to me. Usually, all I have to do is send an Email with pictures of the broken items and the vendor will send me replacements right away.

I sympathize with your frustration, though. I, too, get excited when the box shows up on the porch. Then I pick it up and hear the dreaded clinking sound that is a dead giveaway that I will find breakage inside.

how ridiculous to pack that way; so much trouble to return all that.

It is amazing how some companies get it right and others don't seem to give a damn.

I've always been impressed with Crate & Barrel's packaging as well as a few nurseries like Lazy S's Farm, Brushwood, and Santa Rosa Gardens. Bluestone Perennials not so much.

Ordered Etta James last CD for dh from Amazon. It was shipped in a bubble envelope. On receipt I found a cracked case and requested an exchange. The next one was packed the same way.

Bought cast aluminum hose guides from Sporty's. The 4 of them were just tossed in a big box with a few wads of brown paper placed on top. It's amazing only one broke during shipping. They sent a replacement free of charge.

Strange how they figure out what needs special packing and what does not. I ordered some fabric and thread from a vendor. A 5"x12"x5" box arrived. I opened it and found two spools of thread safely enclosed in bubble wrap measuring 24"x 24" of bubble wrap. Nothing else in the box. Talk about waste! Go figure!

It defies logic. Not only does it irk me because it has now inconvenienced me, but possibly even more than that, it makes me sick to see these beautiful things destroyed because somebody couldn't be bothered to exercise proper judgment.

I've left feedback on Kohl's site and will do the same on Amazon. I will say, somewhat in Amazon's defense, that they shipped replacements overnight and I wasn't required to return (or even prove receipt of) the damaged goods. At least their customer service personnel were highly responsive.

that's an absolute ridiculous waste of money on their part and a real PIA for you!!! i would definitely send an email to customer service complaining about the poor packaging rather than just asking for replacement.
once when i was trying to use some kohl's cash and 30%coupon i ordered some simple kitchen items (graters, cooking utensils, etc) and i was amazed to see that they sent EVERY SINGLE item to me separately...so over the course of the week i received about 8 different boxes in the mail-it was ridiculous!!!

i have ordered dishes, glass items, etc on line several times from different companies and have always received the merch. well packed with no breakage---only broken item i ever received was a mirror and i called, reported it and ups came to pick up and delivered a new one- no issue.

I could have warned you about Kohls - everything I have ever ordered from them via the web has been packed poorly. I never ordered anything breakable, but I'm talking things like 2 pairs of shoes coming in a giant box (big enough to fit 8 shoeboxes) with no padding - so the shoes spilled out of the boxes and the shoe boxes were horribly crushed when they reached me.

I ordered Fiesta from amazon and it was well packed - maybe it's a hit-or-miss thing with their warehouse workers? Megachina is another great online fiesta source that did a great job with packing.

Sorry this happened to you - good luck getting your replacements from Kohls.

I had an interesting experience recently with Miksasa. I ordered 10 salad plates from their website. They were on clearance for 4.99 each. They shipped each plate to me from California to Massachusetts in it's own 12" x 12" square box. The salad plates were each in their own sealed cardboard boxes wrapped with many feet of bubblewrap inside of each square box.

Needless to say, the plates were all intact. But what a PIA to unpack 10 boxes and get rid of all of the packing material. I can't imagine they made any money on that sale.

seagrass

I have to agree with Natal about Crate & Barrel's shipping. Sometimes I think their packaging is almost overkill, but I have never received anything damaged from them. I recently ordered candles from them and they were packaged SO well -- I mean, candles aren't even breakable. Fishs Eddy (love their stuff) also does a great job of packaging.

I have ordered a few dishes from Amazon in the past and was lucky that they arrived intact.

What a huge pain for you!

What a waste of your time and of the beautiful dishware. At least the customer service was responsive.

Crate and Barrel's shipping is very well done. I've ordered cake plates, platters, dishes, etc. and are were carefully packaged.

I just received damaged goods from Crate and Barrel... ceramic that had nothing but thin thin bubble wrap inside a large box with no other packaging.

Two out of three had to be replaced. Those were very OVER-packaged!

Crate & Barrel's deliveries are so well packed they could by dropped out of an airplane flying over your house and everything would still arrive in perfect condition.

It is not environmentally friendly to throw new merchandise into a landfill.

Did you call Kohl's and ask if you have to return them to the store? I ordered a set of coffee mugs from Kohl's and was displeased that the finish had little imperfections. Customer service was very gracious, mailing me a new set immediately. I did not have to return the damaged set to the store.

Their outstanding return policy is one of the reasons I will buy things from there again and again.

I just received damaged goods from Crate and Barrel... ceramic that had nothing but thin thin bubble wrap inside a large box with no other packaging.

Everything I've ever received from them had that cool honeycomb paper and air pads or bubble wrap. I recycle it every year at Christmas when shipping gifts.

Thanks for suggesting that, hmmmm. I just called Kohl's, but the recording advised that hold times were longer than normal, so I sent an email instead. Automated response says I'll receive a reply within 24 hours. Interested to see what kind of response I receive.

Response from Kohl's:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding the damaged Fiesta Ivory 5-pc. Dinnerware Sets from your recent order. I understand your concern, and I am happy to assist you.

I am very sorry to learn part of your order arrived damaged. Please carefully dispose of the damaged Fiesta Ivory 5-pc. Dinnerware Sets. At this time, we are unable to send a replacement item. A return for the three Fiesta Ivory 5-pc. Dinnerware Sets will be processed. Please allow 14-30 business days for the credit to be applied to your American Express account.

If you would like to place a new order for this item, please visit Kohls.com to place your order. We will be happy to honor the original sale price and free standard shipping on a replacement order. Once you have placed your order, please reply with your new order number so we may process the necessary adjustments. If you find you need assistance replacing your order you may contact us at 1-866-887-8884. You can reach us Monday through Saturday from 7am to 10pm Central Time and on Sunday from 9am to 10pm Central Time. I apologize for the inconvenience caused by receiving part of your order damaged. I have forwarded this issue to the appropriate management teams at our corporate office and Kohls.com Fulfillment Center. You can be assured that we will identify the problem and resolve this issue for any future orders.

Not sure why they can't process a replacement, but apparently I can go back online and reorder. Whatever ... I'll just find the sets I need elsewhere, or take a drive to Kohl's. ::sigh::

I recently received a Mikasa dishes order and was complaining fiercely about how much packing material and boxes they used. I guess I should be grateful after your story.

I am sorry! I was going to order from Amazon originally but there were so many bad reviews re: the packaging and concerns that they were 2nds that I did not. I ordered from Carson's instead. It was much cheaper than Kohl's (not anymore) and I had no packaging issues.

Prices have gone up . . .on sale I could get a 5 piece set for $20. That was last year!

Here is a link that might be useful: Carson's

Honestly, it's not rocket science to package things properly. I buy quite a bit online, and it amazes me sometimes how things get shipped.

We bought our backsplash tile online, 14 boxes. It shipped UPS freight, and I tracked the shipment. There was a 2 day delay in Atlanta for some reason. When it reached here I found out why. All the tile was piled loose together into one big box. UPS refused to delivery it to us and contacted the shipper. The seller shipped it again. We ended up with 8 1/2 small boxes and a bunch of tile loose in another box. Counted breakage and notified seller again. They had packed the tile in small flimsy boxes, so it was no wonder they broke, but I think UPS didn't help either. The shipment should have been put on a pallet and banded down. You would think someone who ships tile for a living would know better! Anyway, the 4 final boxes arrived, each wrapped in bubble wrap and packed inside another box. Geez, they could have avoided the whole thing with the proper boxes and handling the first time. What a waste of nice tile.

My company ships quite a bit of product every day. We use packaging approprate for the material, and use at least 15 carriers on a regular basis. We have very few shipping mishaps. Our product is made to the customer's order, so we can't just ship some more if a shipment is damaged. It's just not good business to lose product and have unhappy customers.

Sunnycottage, this kind of disrespect for your money will give you a heart attack. I am so sorry.

You should have made the subject of your posting here 'Kohls- never shop there again!! That will go out on the internet.' I did that with Best Buy here on the computer help site. I stated where it was and we are sayin bye bye to that store. Took a year and a half but the neighborhood got their way. Crooks.

Kohl's probably had disgruntled help that were leaving whether they got fired or not is my guess.

There is a saying going around - The Honey Badger Doesn't Care. It is in regard to a youtube video. Yes, it's funny, a little pottymouth and viral. Here is the site. If it cheers you up, let me know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7pGZudN8rE

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I just wanted to post that Bluestone Perennials is no longer using packing peanuts in their shipments - hooray!

What surprises me are the shippers who put a "Fragile" sticker
on the box as if that's going to matter to anyone.

Rule of thumb: If you can not hold the pkg. waist high and drop it....
don't ship-it.

I hate those packing peanuts! Worse are packing peanuts with static in them, impossible to sweep up and sticking to your clothes and everywhere else!

I don't mind packing peanuts as long as they're made from cornstarch.

Sorry for the shipping woes.

BTW, the UPS store will accept any leftover packing peanuts.